Thanks to TearfulMoon from Checkmated for the awesome beta!
xxx
Ch 6
The next morning Draco and Ginny were released from the hospital. As they entered the Great Hall all conversation died. Draco couldn't help but think this was exactly the reaction he'd have received if this entrance been made while he was in school.
He felt a bit like a puppy dog, following Ginny in and sitting with her, but he really didn't know anyone else. As the conversations around them resumed, mainly in whispers, he looked about and thought there to be maybe one hundred people in the spacious hall.
"Tuck in," Ginny said with a smile as a plate appeared before each of them and more food was added to the platters set in front of them.
"Hogwarts still has its house elves, I see."
Ginny laughed. "Yes, much to Hermione's dismay." She could see Draco missed her meaning and explained, "In her fourth year, Hermione tried to start up this House Elf liberation thing. She thought they were treated cruelly and deserved wages for their work. Here, they've always been treated well and enjoyed their work, so I don't know what she was all up in arms about."
Draco snorted. "She'd have a complete breakdown if she knew how House Elves are treated at Durmstrang. Hell, if she knew how my—" he stopped and Ginny nodded, knowing he was going to say how his father treated them.
At that moment, Fred and George took the opportunity to catch Ginny and Draco up on the big news. Harry, Ron and Hermione would be back in England within the week. They had a plan and while no one was sure what it was, it was definitely big.
"It could be the end!" George whispered.
"Like a good end? For us?" Ginny asked.
George nodded.
"Well, we've thought this before so don't get your hopes up," Ginny warned cautiously.
xxx
After breakfast Ginny escorted Draco to the dungeons where he would be given Veritaserum and then interrogated for further questioning. The Veritaserum revealed that Draco had not come back to Hogwarts with Ginny in order to spy. He confessed his loathing for the side he had been on and the events that had caused such feelings.
Ginny remained in the room with Draco and the interviewer per Draco's request. He trusted her completely now. She knew he hadn't really been able to ever trust anyone. His answers about the things he'd witnessed and been party to made Ginny cringe. She felt so badly for him! The part about finding his mother after she committed suicide brought tears to her eyes. She had always thought that one day she would see something good in Draco Malfoy but right now all she saw was pain.
Draco was allowed to leave when the Veritaserum wore off. "So where will I be staying? I don't suppose my old room might be free?" Draco asked curiously.
"Possibly. Why don't we go and see?" Ginny gestured for Draco to lead the way down the corridor to what used to be the Slytherin Common Room.
It was a walk down memory lane for Draco.
The portrait opened for them with a password from Ginny and he stepped in to find the Common Room nearly as it was when he had been a student. It was a bit more worn and smelled a bit musty otherwise it looked like the closest thing to home he'd seen in a good, long while.
He led Ginny through a hallway to a door marked with the number six. He hadn't quite finished his sixth year when he'd left Hogwarts, thus this was his last room. He entered the room and found six beds, only two of which appeared to be in use judging by their state of disarray.
"Do you suppose I could stay here then?" he asked, looking at Ginny.
She shrugged. "I don't see why not. If a married couple were in here, the beds would be pushed together but as they're not, this is probably home to two others. I never come down here."
"You live up in the Gryffindor Tower no doubt?"
"Yes. I have my own room actually. It's quite nice- one of the perks of being me. Now, what are we going to do about getting you a change of clothes?" He watched as she tapped her finger on her jaw, thinking hard. She looked him over. "You look to be about Fred's size, albeit a bit thinner. I'm sure he has some robes and stuff you can borrow until we can get you some of your own. How about you get cleaned up and I'll send a House Elf with some robes for you?"
Draco nodded. As Ginny was leaving, he realized he would be alone and didn't know what to do or where to go after he showered. "What should I do after I've cleaned up?" he asked.
To Ginny, he almost appeared unsure of himself.
"Well, I don't know what's on today's schedule but…" she thought for a few minutes before finishing. "Come up to the Gryffindor Common Room when you're done and we'll find a place for you."
"Sound good."
"You do remember where it is, right?" Ginny laughed.
"Yes, although I can't say I've ever been in there. It will be a first."
xxx
Ginny took her time washing up. She hadn't had a good shower in a few weeks and scourgifying spells just didn't do it for her. She relished in the hot water and the smell of her favorite soap.
Her thoughts drifted to Draco, who would no doubt be heading up to the Tower soon. She was suddenly conscious of the appearance she had kept the past few weeks and wondered what Draco would think of a squeaky clean Ginny.
'What on Earth is wrong with me?' she thought. 'Why do I even care?'
Ginny stepped out of the shower and grabbed two towels, wrapping her hair in one and her body in the other. She enjoyed having a room to herself. She was used to it now. She had, of course, shared it with her husband. After he'd been killed, she remained alone. No one pressured her to share the room. There were more rooms than people in Hogwarts.
She pulled on fresh clothes: the robes she had worn all that time would have to be disposed of. She dried her hair quickly and headed down to the Common Room. Draco was seated on a couch having a discussion with Seamus Finnigan.
"Ginny!" Seamus cried, looking as though he hadn't seen her in ages. He'd seen her, in fact, at breakfast that morning but she'd been too busy talking to Draco, Fred and George to really pay him much attention. Seamus crossed the room and pulled her into a huge hug.
"Hi," Ginny said, returning the hug less enthusiastically and patting Seamus' back lightly. She rolled her eyes as she hugged him. "Anything exciting on the agenda today?" she asked, pulling out of Seamus' possessive grip.
"Well, not much other than training. You should probably rest though. I can't imagine the past few weeks have been—"
"Don't try to handle me, Seamus Finnigan," Ginny said seriously. "Truth be told, all I did was sit around in a dark dungeon day after day. I am in need of some training." She turned to Draco. "I suppose we could do some training together."
Draco shrugged. He was beginning to feel like a burden more than any kind of help. Despite feeling somewhat useless, he followed Ginny to what had been the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Ginny knew quite a lot and Draco learned a few new spells. After a few hours, they took a break and headed into the Hall for lunch.
"Where'd you learn all that? Just from being here?" Draco asked as they ate.
"Yes. Also, I've pieced bits of spells together to create combinations. There are some very talented wizards and witches here. Some you've probably never heard of. Hey, check it out! Here come Blaise and Millie!"
"By the grace of the gods, is that Draco Malfoy in front of me?" Blaise called, scampering across the Hall towards him. Draco smiled and stood to greet his old friend. "How are you?" he asked as he pulled Draco into a hug.
"I'm quite well, thanks. And you— it would seem you are doing well."
"Yeah, yeah. So, what's the deal? Fred told us you were here on our way in but he didn't give details. What has been going on in the past… eight years?"
Ginny sat idly by finishing her lunch as Draco and Blaise caught up on each other's recent lives. She excused herself, feeling somewhat ignored by the reunion and headed outside for a bit of flying.
xxx
The Quidditch Pitch was pretty run down these days. She still flew around but no one had time for a game anymore. The world had moved on. There were more pressing matters at hand. She flew gracefully around the pitch, dodging and diving from the obstacles she conjured in her mind.
She finally stopped when she saw a flash of white glimmer in the sunshine below. She looked down and was embarrassed to find Draco watching her.
"You fly beautifully," he called. "Are there more brooms?"
"Check the old locker rooms. We keep some there," she replied. He disappeared under the stands and emerged a short while later with a broom. Once in the air, he flew to where she had stayed waiting.
"So, do you have some moves you can show me, then?" He grinned.
Ginny felt a flutter through her heart. Draco Malfoy should smile more often, she thought.
"Oh, from what I remember of your flying skills, you can probably teach me a few moves."
"I don't know. From what I witnessed a few minutes ago, you do just fine on your own."
Ginny grinned and took off. Draco took her challenge and they sped around the pitch and took their race out across Hogwarts grounds.
After flying together for nearly an hour, Ginny grew tired. She knew there would be a meeting after dinner and that she would need to prepare a report on her recent 'adventure.'
"I'm going to head inside. I need to get together a report for tonight's meeting," she said, descending to the pitch.
"Is there anything I could tell you that might help?" Draco offered. Ginny's eyes widened.
"Absolutely! You could give some great information! Why didn't I think of it before? Listen, I'm going to go freshen up. Meet me in my room in half an hour or so, all right? Once you are in the Common Room, go up the stairs to your left. I am the seventh door all the way at the top."
Ginny hurried away before Draco could even reply.
xxx
Ginny had a house elf deliver snacks and drinks to her room for her meeting with Draco in the late afternoon. She showered again and threw on her comfy pants and a t-shirt. Draco arrived right when she'd asked him, knocking lightly on her open door as he stepped in.
"Hey!" She beamed. "Shut that, would you?" She motioned to the door. "I don't want anyone getting a sneak peak at our report." Draco did as she asked and looked around her room. Two beds had been pushed together to make one. She had a couch, a chair and a desk. There was a bureau that had a few drawers open and clothes strewn from them.
"Nice room. You sure get the royal treatment, eh?"
Ginny shrugged. "Yeah. It's never felt like home though. So, before we get started, I have a question for you."
"Yes…?"
"You told me a few days ago that you have a 'plan.'"
Draco nodded.
"What is it?"
Draco shrugged and thought for a minute. "Well, I suppose it consists of me killing Voldemort."
"That's it?"
"I never said it was well thought out or actually planned now, did I?" he smirked.
Ginny laughed.
"No, I guess you didn't. But you sounded so serious when you said it, I was just curious."
"I was serious. I am serious. I am glad to be here because I think… I think this is a way I can go through with my plan. But enough of that, let's get started. What do you want to know?"
Ginny sat on one end of the couch taking notes as she listened to Draco give her some of the inside information he had on Durmstrang. Then he told her of the other Death Eater strongholds he had been to when he was a message boy. Eventually, their information session turned into stories about the funny things that had happened to them over the past few years. It was nice to know that there had been some humor in the majority of the mess that was going on.
One story about the misuse of a healing spell to try to give someone diarrhea instead of get rid of it as a way of torture had Ginny rolling on the floor laughing. Apparently, the idiot Death Eater who had thought up that one had not thought of the negative ramifications on everyone else around this victim.
"I mean it was truly explosive!" Draco laughed.
"Oh my gosh! That has got to be one of the most fowl, but funniest things I have ever heard!" Ginny gathered herself as she rose from the floor. "Come on, we should probably head down." As she was getting up, she tripped over a wrinkle in the rug and fell into Draco as he stood. His strong arms caught her around the waist and lifted her back up. He held her there, looking into her eyes, and she into his, for a moment longer than was absolutely necessary. Ginny cleared her throat and looked away. Draco released her.
"Yes, um… thank you. This will be a great deal of help," she said nervously as she gathered the notes she had taken earlier.
Draco, not knowing what to do or say, just watched her and then followed her when she made to leave. Deciding things were slightly awkward after he caught her, Draco ate with Blaise while Ginny sat farther down at a different table with her brothers and whom Draco assumed were their wives or girlfriends.
xxx
At the meeting that night Draco was introduced before Ginny called him up to help give her report. His information was so good that Remus, Tonks, and Fred, as well as a few others began talking, only to corner him afterwards. They wanted to know what the possibility was of an invasion at Durmstrang.
It was late when Draco finally left. He looked around for Ginny but she had already gone. He had wanted to talk to her before he went to bed. Draco had seen something in her eyes he didn't recognize when he stood in her room holding her earlier. It had excited him as well as scared him. She'd been looking at him the same way he was looking at her— with longing.
Instead of looking for her and talking to her, Draco stayed in his rooms or stuck close to Zabini for a few days. Ginny did the same, staying near one of her family members at all times.
Draco was pacing out in the old Slytherin Common Room one night when Blaise came in with his girlfriend. "Padma, go on up. I'll be there in a minute." The young woman left and Blaise turned to Draco. "What's eating you, mate?"
Draco sighed and slouched down into the soft, green sofa in front of the fire. "I don't know. This whole thing… me being here… its just weird."
"Uh huh. So then the gorgeous, courageous, talented creature that is Ginny Wood has nothing to do with how you are feeling?" Blaise drawled and Draco's head shot up, eyes wide. "It's not that obvious, don't worry about it. I've been there myself so I recognize it a little easier."
"Did you and Ginny…"
Blaise shook his head. "No. I never approached her about my feelings. She was still married to…Wood was still alive when I first got here. She was the one who took care of everyone. She trained us and made those of us who were new feel better. She was everything I didn't know she would be. I was fascinated. But, she had a good Gryffindor husband and so, we only struck up a friendship."
"I don't know what I'm feeling, Blaise. It's weird. I mean, I think I just haven't seen a decent-looking, young woman in such a long time, I—"
"Oh, there are plenty of other young women around here, though I don't reckon you'll have noticed." Draco thought back and realized that he had not, in fact, noticed any others. "Once Wood got killed, Ginny withdrew from everyone but her family. Our friendship… while it wasn't completely shot, hasn't ever been the same. Then that idiot Seamus set out after her and she began staying close to her brothers and Lupin."
Draco moaned in frustration and shook his head.
"But," Blaise continued. "You two seem to have developed a bond."
Draco shrugged. "I let her out of Durmstrang. She offered me freedom and asylum if I came with her. I couldn't…" Draco paused and Blaise raised an eyebrow. "I couldn't resist," Draco whispered.
At that point, the portrait hole opened up and in walked the topic of conversation. She paused, looking slightly embarrassed. "Oh. Hi. I was… I um…" she was at a loss for words.
"Hey Gin-girl!" Blaise smiled as he moved towards her and hugged her. "I haven't had a chance to welcome you back properly."
"Thanks, Z," she murmured softly as she returned his embrace. "I was actually looking for Draco. I, uh… had some things to go over with him but then you guys cornered him after the meeting the other night and things have just been crazy since then!" Her voice was slightly shaky.
"Well, I will leave you to it then. Goodnight," Blaise kissed Ginny's forehead and winked at Draco whose cheeks blushed ever so slightly.
Draco made room for Ginny on the couch but she remained standing. "Care to take a bit of a walk 'round the castle? I'm not tired."
Draco nodded and followed her lead from the common room.
The two were completely silent as they aimlessly walked the corridors, ending up at the entrance to the old Astronomy Tower, which now served as storage and had a lookout on top.
"Ginny—"
"Draco—" they began at the same time, causing them to chuckle.
"You go first," she said.
"I just wanted to say, if I have made you in any way uncomfortable, I—"
"What? How could you do that?" She smiled and took his hand in a friendly gesture, stepping closer to him. He looked into her eyes again and, seeing that longing there yet again, decided to take his chance. He bent forward and placed his hand behind her head, drawing her lips to his.
It was a soft, simple kiss that ended as abruptly as it had begun. Ginny's eyes remained closed and Draco leaned his forehead down on hers. "I… I—"
"I haven't been with anyone since Oliver died," Ginny whispered matter-of-factly.
Draco started to pull away from her, thinking he had misinterpreted what he saw. Her hands instantly came up to grip his elbows.
"I never thought there would be anyone else, and then… you came."
Draco studied her eyes when they finally opened. He didn't know what to say. There were many things he wanted to say but he couldn't get them from his brain to his mouth. By saying what she had, did that mean she wanted to be with him? Be with him? His brain was frozen.
They stood there in silence, leaning against one another for a long while until Ginny turned her head up towards his again, pressing her lips to his. The fact that she had initiated the kiss this time sent his blood boiling. Draco deepened the kiss and she responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. He lifted her up and sat her on the windowsill. She wrapped her legs around him, pulling him in closer.
Draco found himself lost in Ginny. He was lost in the sensation of what had sparked between them. It had been so long since he had tasted a woman and kissing Ginny was like no other. She was sweet and tangy, her breath warm and soft.
After a few heated moments they broke apart gasping. Draco studied her lips, swollen from his kisses, and sighed. "We should get some rest," he whispered. Ginny nodded silently and carefully removed herself from Draco's grasp.
They retreated from the Astronomy Tower in silence once more but Draco caught hold of Ginny's hand and escorted her to Gryffindor Tower. He paused at the doorway as she gave him a hug and kept his hold on her once she let go.
"I… I really…" he paused, as he watched her eyes search his. "You've trusted me so easily. You've accepted me. Why?"
"I have faith, Draco. Despite all the bad things in the world, I have faith."
Draco stared at her, not really knowing what to say. He hadn't really understood, until now, what it was to have faith in someone or something. Though he'd had faith in her when they'd left Durmstrang, he supposed.
"Goodnight, Ginny."
"Goodnight Draco," she whispered as she kissed his lips lightly and disappeared into the common room. Draco leaned back against the wall of the corridor and collapsed down to the floor.
'Now this is an interesting development,' he thought, burying his head in his hands.